Jan. 17, 2006

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Washington, D.C. - Senior guard Darrel Owens (Napoleonville, La./Assumption) scored 20 points, including a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left, to lift Georgetown to a 50-47 win over South Florida in a BIG EAST Conference men's basketball game in front of 5,071 fans at MCI Center on Tuesday night.

Georgetown, winners of eight of its last 10 games, improves to 11-4 overall and 3-2 in league play, while the Bulls fall to 6-11 overall and 0-4 in the BIG EAST.

Leading by one point at halftime, the Hoyas were up 34-33 midway through the second half when they used a 10-5 run over a 6:59 span to take a 44-38 lead on a three-pointer from senior guard Ashanti Cook (Inglewood, Calif./Westchester) with 5:22 to play. The lead was 46-40 after a pair of Cook free throws with 4:21 to play when the Bulls scored five-straight points - consecutive baskets from Melvin Buckley and James Holmes and a free throw from Holmes - to narrow the gap to 46-45 with 1:40 left in the game.

Senior forward Brandon Bowman (Santa Monica, Calif./Westchester) hit a basket to give the Hoyas a three-point lead, but South Florida's McHugh Mattis followed a miss from Collin Dennis and cut the lead to one point, 48-47 with less than a minute to play. The Hoyas turned the ball over and South Florida had a chance to take the lead, but Solomon Jones missed a jumper from the baseline and Owens corralled the rebound, was fouled and hit both shots to ice the 50-47 win.

After a sluggish start to the first half - the teams were shooting a combined 28 percent from the floor in the first nine minutes of action - the Bulls maintained the early lead. Taking advantage of the poor shooting from the Hoyas, a three-pointer from Melvin Buckley gave South Florida a 7-1 lead. Georgetown began to heat up and took its first lead of the game, 10-9 with 10:56 to play, on a three-pointer from Owens.

The game was tied at 10-all when the Hoyas scored six-straight points over a 1:04 span and surged to a 16-10 lead on a layup from freshman guard Jessie Sapp (New York, N.Y./National Christian Academy). A three-pointer from Owens, three of his 10 first half points, gave Georgetown a 21-17 lead and it was 23-19 on an Owens layup with 1:47 to play in the half. James Holmes hit a layup and one of two free throws in the final minute, making it 23-22 Georgetown at the break.

Owens finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Cook added 12 points and three assists for the Hoyas. Jones finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulls, while Holmes added 13 points and Melvin Buckley chipped in 12 and five rebounds.

Georgetown connected on 42.9 percent of its field goals (18-of-42), 27.3 percent of its three-pointers (6-of-22) and 57.1 percent of its free throws (8-of-14). South Florida shot 40.0 percent from the floor (20-of-50), 23.1 percent from three-point land (3-of-13) and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4-of-6). The Hoyas grabbed 27 rebounds, with South Florida taking in 32. Georgetown handed out 13 assists and had five steals, while both teams committed 12 turnovers.

Georgetown plays its final non-league game of the regular season on Saturday, hosting No. 1-ranked Duke at MCI Center. A sold-out crowd is expected for the game, slated to tip off at 1:30 pm with a CBS national television audience. The game can be heard live on SportsTalk 980 AM, with Rich Chvotkin calling the action.